That Super Bowl spot single-handedly got me amped for this flick.

It's been by far the best produced trailer. It doesn't mean I've forgotten the mediocrity that came before it though. The movie will be entertaining action-wise but I'm sure everyone in this forum wants something approaching "Best Marvel Movie Ever" status. It comes off too cartoony to make me believe it'll be that.

Too cartoony?

I dunno'. Me, I consider myself to be a Marvel fan. I buy tons of related merchandise and gush over 'facts' of the 616 to all my neices and nephews, until they get old enough to think I'm a geek for it. And while I spend more time and money than an adult man should on such frivolity, I am fully aware that the Marvel U is 'fantasyland'. It is not the real world. There are no Hulks or Gods or super soldier serums on our planet, save the ones shown in the comics and films.

So I don't really understand how a comic-book based film property (or just its trailer, in this case) can really get 'too cartoony'. I don't engage the parts of my mind that I use to decipher the real world to analyze this material. It's more metaphorical, and conceptual analysis that my brain is working on. On a fundamental level, it is just for entertainment, but entertainment with some deeper symbolic meaning coupled with obvious visual cues. Although the giant green Hot Wheels car Hal Jordan produces in The Green Lantern gets me right on the edge of a 'too cartoony' moment, but just. Is that what you mean here? Or is it the dialogue? After the PT, any lines delivered by actual people with heartbeats seems like good dialogue to me.

And in that regard, I disagree with your assesment. The Hulk leap-smash at the end of that trailer, by itself, almost takes the cake as my favorite Marvel-movie moment of all time. And the movie hasn't even come out yet. But then again, I am biased.

"I don't engage the parts of my mind that I use to decipher the real world to analyze this material."

Visit the site much? The in-depth deciphering of comic/scifi/fantasy movies is what makes this forum awesome.

The musical commentary is my favorite.

Right. I do that. I don't demand reality from it. I'm being argumentative as a means of furthering discussion.

Do YOU visit the site much, smartron?

(Thats me being argumentative again:)

I visit every day. Post? Not so much.

Post more. You will feel better about this exchange once you really come out of your shell (head). Get it, shell-head? As in, the snarky way people in the Marvel U refer to Iron-Man?

I'm trying desperately to tie this into the Avengers, fyi.

These off-topic, mcfeelings ridden, tender-moments that don't add to the discussion should really be handled in an e-fight in the reservation. With a poll. And some good zingers back and forth. Then we can feel like real macho men and have a beer afterward. Unless your a woman. Or someone under the age of 21. Didn't anyone else on this board watch 'Fight-Club' wtf? Go get sensitive witch yer momma, sucka. Im a heartless rat.

/mystery-of-avengers-aliens-gets-deeper/

Avengers Lego playset descriptions reveal some mini spoilers:



Loki's Cosmic Cube Escape
Loki is escaping from S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters with the powerful Cosmic Cube. If he succeeds, he could use it to wreak havoc on the world! Will Iron Man in his amazing armored suit alongside Hawkeye in his function-packed S.H.I.E.L.D. off-roader be fast enough to catch Loki, or will the Asgardian villain escape with the Cosmic Cube? You decide! Includes 3 minifigures: Iron Man, Loki and Hawkeye.



Hulk's Helicarrier Breakout
The Hulk and Thor have Loki captured on board the Avengers' awesome Helicarrier. Using his powers of trickery and illusion, Loki makes Hawkeye lose control of his function-packed jet fighter. Help Hulk bring down the malfunctioning jet fighter and its flick-missiles by smashing the fuel canisters to hit the jet fighter! Then jump onto the jet fighter and rescue Hawkeye from the cockpit with the cockpit blast function! Includes 4 minifigures: Hulk, Thor, Hawkeye and Loki.



Quinjet Arial Battle
Loki is up to no good and is planning to destroy the earth! As he flies into battle on board his chariot, help the Avenger's defeat their nemesis using the supersonic Quinjet! Fire the missiles, release the mini-jet and imprison Loki in the prison pod! With the high-tech Quinjet, the Avengers can’t fail! Includes Thor, Iron Man, Black Widow, Loki and more minifigures.



Captain America's Avenging Cycle
While riding his Avenging Cycle, Captain America spots the general on his craft. Help Captain America use his indestructible shield to defeat the general and his foot soldier! Win the battle and send them back to where they came from. The fate of the world lies in your hands. Includes 3 minifigures: Captain America and more.

Here's an interview with one of the SFX Supervisors:
source: Starburst Magazine

Working at Hydraulx, the SFX company behind SKYLINE and BATTLE: LOS ANGELES, Wells and his crew are overseeing the much-anticipated film's opening sequence. 'We're doing what essentially boils down to the prelude of the movie,' he said. 'There's a whole intro that happens before you start even getting the titles and it's pretty big. There's nothing small in this movie. I went to a screening with all the temporary visual effects and it was pretty fleshed out. It's a long movie but it doesn't feel like it. Out of all the comic book movies and franchises I've worked on, this is the best one I've seen so far.'

Having worked on the X-MEN films, CAPTAIN AMERICA, THE INCREDIBLE HULK, FANTASTIC FOUR, GREEN LANTERN and more, Wells knows his superhero stuff, although he claims to not be a big fan of the genre. Asked whether the film would be driven by action or the more character-orientated work that director Joss Whedon is known for, Wells gave an answer that will set a lot of sheep minds at rest. 'I think they nailed both,' he said. 'Joss and I have worked on some projects before and he does a very good job with characters. Since this is the first time that we see these guys together as a unit, he had to address all their personal dealings with one another. I think he did a very good job of setting up the characters based on what we know from the Marvel franchise, integrating them together with all their differences and similarities and then getting on with business. And just when you think the movie is a character piece it just goes nuts.'

While Wells avoided giving away any details about the mysterious baddies of the piece and refused to be drawn on whether the much-rumoured Skrulls would be on villain duty, he did confirm that The Red Skull was not in the movie, cryptically adding, 'but that's ok because there's enough bad guys to go around'. Despite being somewhat weary of superhero films, Wells went on to state that THE AVENGERS has far exceeded his expectations and is destined to be a massive hit when released this summer. 'I promise you it's not going to be boring,' he said. 'This thing has gone so big that Marvel are dwarfing their other franchises. For people who enjoy the comics and haven't really liked the way some of the characters were treated in other movies, I think they're going to be a little more appeased by this one. Especially the Hulk. They let the Hulk be Hulk and that's great. He acts more like the comic book Hulk. It's fun. My biggest problem with every single superhero movie is I don't think the payoff ever matches the build up. This one definitely does.'



Let the buzz begin! Apparently there has been a rough cut screening and the impressions are very positive. Hard to believe this is only three months away!

Hulkbuster armor revealed in new Avengers toy !

Is that confirmed to be film-related, though? The Thor and Cap movie tie-in toy lines seemed to take the 'story' line fairly 'liberally'.

I dont remember seeing a full 40+% of what I saw on the pegs at the store in either of the films. Not that I fault them for that, either. I'm just sayin', just cuz' theres a toy, doesnt mean its in the movie.

Does it? I have been known to make mistakes, from time to time.

true. but it's close to confirming it.

New poster. The film is going to be called "Avengers Assemble" in the UK to differentiate it from the old 60's Avengers TV show.




New trailer tomorrow night!

It might be the worst movie poster I've ever seen. Most unprofessional photoshop work I've ever seen for a major movie.

Still looking forward to the trailer.

Yeah, I was expecting much better. Pretty much looks like they took individual promo shots of each character, slapped them together in PS and called it a day. But that seems par for the course for most movie posters these days. I miss good hand drawn/painted movie posters. Where's Drew Struzan when you need him?

Yeah, wow really. Those posters are pretty weak.

With all the great art and artists out there, even a "comic book cover as a poster", while obvious and unoriginal, would have looked way better. They just look really, ugh. Uninspired.

yep, new trailer is up and rocking !

[flash width=640 height=385]http://www.youtube.com/v/kId00ETsKpE?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&hd=1[/flash]


Iron Man kicking Thor's ass - check
Hulk saving Iron Man - check
Hulk chasing tight ass ScarJo down a hallway - check
Mechanical giant Leviathan transformer at end - check

I gotta say...this one was pretty kick ass.

No complaints on this one, loved every second of it!

Now THAT'S what I'm talking about. There was a lot of Marvel ass-kicking in this trailer. It might just be the best Marvel trailer yet.

Very well produced and hit all the right beats. Awesome.

The shot where Hulk saves Iron Man - I think that just might be every comic nerd's orgasm.

All too true, I had a Nerdgasm when I saw the Hulk save Iron Man. Terrific action and less of the "Hi, I'm an Avenger now" get-to-know one another footage. Great sound as well I noticed.

I have to critique showing Hulk saving IronMan though. trailers just show way too much these days. Show the generic robot fish, show some pew-pew IronMan shots, show Hulk growling and breaking things. Heck, show Captain America a little more, but don't show the big nerd awesome things like Hulk saving IM in a freaking trailer! The general public, wives and little johnny nose picker doesn't know why that's awesome so why show it now? You gotta save some of your good shit for the big show. Can you imagine seeing that for the first time in a crowded theater? Roofs and minds alike would be blown!

Studios are so scared people won't show up and pay for a ticket that they feel like they have to show all their best shots just to get them in the door. Take a cue from Prometheus. We've hardly seen shit, ( I'm assuming) and it will probably be a blockbuster.

MEGATON SPOILERS AHEAD FROM SHH:

[spoil]
[align=left]- Movie begins with prologue narrated by a female S.H.I.E.L.D. agent (Maria Hill or Sharon Carter perhaps) weaving together all the Marvel Universe films

- Film shows how S.H.I.E.L.D. discovers Captain America’s frozen body, along with the Cosmic Cube

- Captain America is literally the 1st Avenger recruited (which follows the Ultimates animated film’s storyline)

- Hulk is the last Avenger on S.H.I.E.L.D.’s radar

- Iron Man gets into fights with everyone including a fight with Captain America (a little homage to Civil War)

- There is a big and lengthy 3-man super battle. Thor, Cpt. America, Iron Man.

- Yes comic book fans, we will see Thor vs Hulk – Merry Christmas!

- The “aliens” are described like beast warriors although the CG’s weren’t finished, but they growl and are wearing masks including “metallic and robotic-like armor”

- There are also 2 “giant snake-like creatures”

- Pre-screened ending did not reveal any cameo i.e. secret villain; if there is indeed some sort of secret cameo, unless a new ending has been shot, it will be in the after credits / post-credits scene (which was not shown)

- Rough cut of the movie ran close to about 2 and ½ hours (and that was without any post-credit scenes)

- Thanos is not in the main film. Neither is Red Skull.

- Agent Coulson could become Captain Marvel in the seque[/align]l[/spoil]

Thanks bear!!

Being spoiled can sometimes feel negative, like a premature mental orgasm of sorts. The spoilers posted above did not negatively effect my sense of 'cantfuckingwait' for this movie.

Since I haven’t seen Iron Man 2, I didn’t realize that Black Widow wasn’t Russian. Based on the trailer, she seems like a generic team member. Why couldn’t they have used Wasp, Scarlet Witch, or some other more interesting female?

Based on the spoilers, I get the impression that the aliens are new and not from existing Marvel mythology. Is that correct?

from what I understood further spoiler posts I've read, the "aliens" are a mixed, Kree/Skrull race which will lead into Avengers 2 with Thanos and Captain Marvel

I dunno', I am digging the way they are using Black Widow thus far. I did giggle a little when in the trailer, everyone is gearing up for something big, standing in a circle hero-money shot pan-o-vision style, and she pops in a new clip.

Like a handgun is going to do shit against a gigantic alien thingamabob.

Then I realized who she is in the comics. She probably takes down a bunch of super-alien-whatevers with that thing. And the whole espionage-ish angle opens up more potential plot devices and angles than a lot of the other female characters basic M.O's might. So it sort of makes more sense to use her, to me. Plus, the fact that in the comics she ends up knowing Bucky as the Winter Soldier, and we never did see a body in the Cap film, kind of keeps the hope alive that Barnes' return might happen with her involved, someday. Not expecting that to happen here though.

As far as Thanos and Captain Marvel in a sequel, awesome idea! The only scary bit about that to me is that the Marvel Galactic U is a bit 'overpopulated' and 'colorful'. It will be dificult to bombard the Earth in every film. And once it goes into space, the whole thing might get corny. I have been pleasantly surprised at what they have done so far though, so I hope if/when it happens, they can pull it off.

Here come some more spoilers, fellas! The kid's Movie Storybook leaked which details a good chunk of the film (not all of it) so proceed with caution:
source: CBM

[spoil]

















[/spoil]

Checked out all the pics but I didn't read all of the text as I don't want to spoil everything going into this one. It's going to be a long couple of months.

Is it me? Or does Hulk have gray sideburns and a hairy chest?

I believe Scarlet Witch is owned by Fox due in part to them having the X-Men license. Wasp will probably be introduced in later MCU movies like Ant Man which is currently in development. Joss Whedon has mentioned in various interviews that he'd like to see her appear in future Avengers sequels.

I sure hope if they do they get some busty trollop to play Wasp. The ultron/wasp (when wasp got killed. Did she come back from the dead yet? I havent been paying attention to actual comics much) robotramp version from a few years ago gets my vote. Sadly, I dont think Im the demographic they are shooting for here.

source: Entertainment Weekly




Aliens in Lego form.




And speaking of which, Joss Whedon has finally ended the speculation and revealed the aliens are not Skrull/Kree.

Avengers run time now locked at 135 minutes!

also, Latino Review is now claiming a spoiler about Iron Man 3. They believe Avengers dovetails right into part 3, and that the plot line involves Extremis, a nanotech that he must inject which makes him a part of his suit.

Insightful interview with Joss Whedon:
source: Total Film magazine & CBM

[spoil]
[align=left]Having such a wide variety of characters, initially Whedon sought focus by telling the story largely from one person's perspective; defrosted WW2 super-soldier Captain America. "That was the plan anyway". However, "In the final cut that's probably not true," Whedon reveals. "There was stuff with Cap I cut out. Although he has an 'in' with the audience in that this world is stranger to him, so he's an identification figure."

The climax Whedon pitched Marvel was so enormous that it was apparent there wouldn't be enough time or money to pull it off, "But that's exactly what we shot," he reveals. The scale is "quite large", but it's not about that. "Its the toll it takes," Whedon says. "I find superhero movies to be a little too neat. And when you have Earth's mightiest heroes - like Thor, you know Thor! - you have to put them in a situation that makes you feel like they're not all going to make it." "The climax of this movie isn't one where you go, 'Oh yes, there's the Avengers, good for them, bye!'" When it all hits, it hits hard."

Whedon then went on to discuss The Avengers potential sequel, essentially revealing that he went all-out to avoid Iron Man 2 syndrome, where the story's reduced to a series of sequel-pointers. "We DO give a nod to a greater problem than the one solved in this film." says Whedon. "I'm a great believer in the idea that if you make the first one to be a 'first one,' then you have already failed," asserts Whedon. "As much as we want to service the idea of a film in a franchise, I want this to be a satisfying film experience. I don't want people to go out saying, "When's the next part?" I want people to say, "Oh, I want to see that again!"

"The first movie I referenced when Marvel asked me what I'd do if they gave me the script was 'The Dirty Dozen," Whedon reveals. "People forgot, but that movie is an hour-and-a-half of training and 20 minutes of Nazi fighting. It helped me to say, you can have time to let these people get to know each other; their conflict can be as interesting as their conflict with the villain." But it was Ridley Scott's 'Black Hawk Down' that really "unlocked" The Avengers. "That's when I realised we needed a war movie. With this many heroes, the only way you can really earn them - earn the idea that they are heroes - is that you put them through a meat grinder."

"This isn't the kind of movie where we're going to wink at the audience," promises Whedon. "There's a great deal of humor and there are a couple of things where people will go, 'Oh!' if they're very into Marvel. Here and there I've thrown references, tiny things I remember [from the comics], but it's not one of those things where you look at and go, 'Oh, that guy and that guy! It's not Where's Waldo?"

"Do I think this is the ultimate Hulk movie? I'm going to tell you I do," says Whedon. "I think what we've done with him is unprecedented and will blow people away." Speaking on Jade Giant's previous outings, Whedon says, "Those are not films I would have made. In the second one he got a [bit] of a ripped surfer look that didn't make sense to me"

Drawing the line on the rumor, sparked by English actress Jenny Agutter, that said Spider-Man will cameo, "There is no Spider-Man in this movie!" declares Joss Whedon. "I feel so bad for Jenny," sighs Whedon. "I think she just slipped on a name and the reporter ran with it. It's not like she goes to Comic-Con every year..."[/align]
[/spoil]

Iron Man 2 Syndrome? "I wouldn't have made the 'Hulk' that way" (never mind for a second that neither were that great). Who the fuck is Joss Whedon?

I love how he talks like he's some superstar film director with this resume of mega hits. Last time I checked, he's yet to make even one feature film. He better pray to God 'Avengers' is as good as his boasting because a lot of people will remember these quotes when he's searching for his next gig.

new japanese trailer here with quite a few new shots!

[flash width=640 height=385]http://www.youtube.com/v/66XjMCFI3Xw?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&hd=1[/flash]

Pepper Potts and dat Heli-carrier! also, some quick glimpses of the enemies. they look like Mighty Morphin Power Ranger bad guys in silver suits.

TV Spots are starting to air. Here's the newest one with the first really good look at the aliens:

[align=center]Alien:[/align]
[spoil][/spoil]

[align=center][flash width=640 height=385]http://www.youtube.com/v/lwxDZFmo54o&fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&hd=1[/flash][/align]

new AWESOME tv spot.

[flash width=640 height=385]http://www.youtube.com/v/FswvtkJX4js&fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&hd=1[/flash]

Capt. America: Hulk!

Hulk: ?

Capt. America: SMASH!

Hulk:

Wow.

I am starting to worry about this one.

Like, I'm starting to worry that I will be calling in sick a lot and repeatedly seeing this movie in 3D. And people will laugh at me because I will be too old to become obsessed with yet another "kids" movie franchise and not appear creepy.

Other than that, this thing is looking like big, round, juicy breasts.

Let em Laugh

No kidding - Marvel's films are the only super-hero flicks my old jaded self can still get excited about. And this one is looking particularly good based on the trailers.

world premiere screened. people are geeking out about it. calling it the best marvel movie yet with an amazing final act with more action than all the others combined. Hulk fans are apparently about to loose their shit at how awesome he is in this.



alien army is:
[spoil]chitauri, which is the Ultimates version of Skrulls.[/spoil]


UPDATE: Mid-credits scene revealed! prepared to be spoiled rotten

[spoil]it shows an alien bowing before someone. He says that Earth is not to be trifled with. To do so would be to "court death". After that, it pans over to the shadowy figure revealing Thanos who merely smiles. Thanos looks somewhat like the aliens, but NOT exactly. Bigger, black and made out of stone. And yes, his face is more humanoid. AND the full cast just filmed another scene just last night together! expected to be after the Thanos reveal at the very end.[/spoil]

Thanks for the update bear!

spoiler update. you've been warned.
[spoil] Agent Coulson dies at some point in the movie. Now it's being speculated that the scene the cast "secretly" filmed just two nights ago has to do with Coulson rising up from the dead and becoming Captain Marvel in a quick shot. Or at least referenced. we shall see![/spoil]

indeed

well I've spoiled myself completely. this movie sounds like the ultimate superhero orgasm we've been waiting for. this is it, people.

[spoil][align=left]
*Loki arrives to Earth via portal,using the active Tesseract.

*Loki arrives in SHIELD base,begins attacking SHIELD agents. Uses mind control on Hawkeye and Dr. Selvig shortly after arrival.

*Thor fights a loose Hulk on the Helicarrier, Hulk tries to pick up Mjolnir, but proves unworthy.

*Jet begins its attack on Hulk who's still aboard the Helicarrier. Hulk jumps aboard the Jet and tears it apart.

*Widow fights Hawkeye, eventually hitting him hard enough for the mind control to wear off.

*Coulson threatens Loki with prototype weapon built from The Destroyer from Thor 1.

*Loki appears behind Coulson,stabs him with his spear.Coulson dies.

*Avengers use Coulson's death as motivation to finally team together to bring Loki down.

*Loki uses Tesseract on top of Stark tower in order to summon his army.

*Eventually Banner arrives to the final battle in NYC and reveals that his secret to controlling the Hulk is that he is always angry. While walking toward the first carrier ship.Becomes Hulk an with one fist smash on the head of the carrier ship,destroys it. More infantry waves keeping coming through portal as well as more carrier ships.

*Hulk and Thor take on carrier down,by Hulk jamming a shard from the carrier itself into the carriers head,and Thor slamming his hammer down on the shard for it to fully penetrate and kill carrier. (seems) like Hulk tries to give Thor a good job jab on shoulder but ends up knocking him a mile out of frame.

*Iron Man flies directly into the mouth of one carrier and comes out the other end,killing it.

*Hulk confronts Loki,Loki rants about how he is a God and blah blah..Hulk just picks him up like a rag doll and slams him around the room repeatedly.

*Widow uses Loki's own scepter in order to close the portal.

* Council decide to nuke NYC,Iron Man grabs nuke and takes it through portal and aims it at the aliens mothership. He loses power and falls down through portal just in time before it closed.

*Falling from the sky Hulk jumps and grabs Iron Man to save his life.

*Loki is taken as a prisoner back to Asgard by Thor. And everyone goes there separate ways.

***(mid credit scene) Thanos is revealed,as he talks about Loki's failure,but that he will go up against humanity again.Turns to camera and smiles.[/align][/spoil]

::wipes drool from mouth::

I am really looking forward to this movie.

I don’t think I’ve ever been this excited about a movie since I queued up to see Star Wars way back in 1977!

The new TV spot with Cap saying “Hulk…Smash!" Is awesome!

Don’t know who’s more excited…me or my 2 kids! Lucky for us here in the UK the movie opens on March 26!